Here is a quick rundown of the songs on my upcoming CD 'Sanssouci'. Since I've opted for very minimal packaging there wasn't room to print most of this info on the jacket.
1. My Foolish Heart (V. Young, N. Washington)
1. My Foolish Heart (V. Young, N. Washington)
This track is my tribute to Astrud Gilberto, whose voice popularized the bossa nova worldwide through songs such as "Girl From Ipanema," "Corcovado" and this one.
2. Curiosity (J. Holland)
This lovely melody is one of the first songs that Jerry wrote for me and is also influenced by Astrud's music. I confess that he stole the line, "Don't you want to kiss me," straight from my lips. I just blurted it out one evening when he was trying to play it cool.
3. Those Dancing Days Are Gone (C. Bruni, W.B. Yeats)
The title track was written by the one and only Rufus Wainwright. Sanssouci was the summer palace of Frederick the Great, located in Potsdam. Jerry's hypnotic guitar and Wolf Sebastian's cello combine for some charming interplay.
5. What A Difference A Day Made (S. Adams, M. Grever)
5. What A Difference A Day Made (S. Adams, M. Grever)
No one tops Dinah Washington's original version. The foot pedal for the keyboard was broken the day Robbie Kondor came in to record, but he laid down a fluffy pillow of an organ track anyway!
6. Little Tune (J. Holland, A.R. Scott) I love this little tune! Jerry co-wrote it with his friend Alan Roy Scott. They were co-writers years ago when they were young rockers in NYC. Alan moved to L.A. in the 90's and got a gig writing for TAMLA, the publishing division of MOTOWN. When we first moved to SoCal the two of them got together (for the first time in 20 years) and wrote this song in one short session. I hope they don't wait another 20 to write another.
7. When I Find You (J. Holland)
This is one of my favorite songs of Jerry's. In addition to Kendal's djembe I love the bells he added. He also played udu and tambourine on this one.
8. Les Feuilles Mortes (J. Prevert, J. Kosma, J. Mercer)
This lovely arrangement features a touch of flamenco guitar, castanets and a beautiful cello solo by my dear friend, Wolf Sebastian.
9. You Don't Know What Love Is (G. de Paul, D. Raye) You don't know the true value of something until you've lost it...Amen! There have been many versions of this, including the classic by Billie Holiday.
10. You're Always With Somebody New (J. Holland) This coy tune was inspired by a friend of ours who always shows up with a new girl in his arms...a 'bad boy' indeed!
11. Too Many Beautiful Girls (J. Holland)
Everyone asks what a "Kangol crown" refers to in this lyric so here's the explanation: 'Kangol' is the brand of beret I often wear, like the one in the picture below. I have a black beret too!
12. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (E. MacColl) This has been a fan favorite at my concerts for several years. According to Wiki, the songwriter, Ewan MacColl, was an absolute folk purist. For example, he did not approve of English people singing Scottish folk songs or vice versa and reputedly hated almost all the recordings of this song, including Flack's. Hmmm...
13. My Romance (R. Rodgers, L. Hart)
We chose to wrap things up the same way we started, with a simple version of a beautiful song. Sweet dreams!
It is really interesting to learn the background of all of these tunes, especially the originals. These are all magical songs with mesmerizing vocals and outstanding music. Thanks for a beautiful CD rich in artistic flavor.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you've given us this explanation of all the songs, along with a few personal tidbits that make up your "SANSSOUCI" CD. It is such a beautiful collection of songs. All of them are special but, of course, the ones
ReplyDeletewritten by Mr. Holland are favorites of mine. He is so talented and the combination of the two of you - well, it doesn't get any better than that, in my opinion.